I got lost again in that ridiculous under-interstate tunnel on my way to TECHNO GYM. I think I might take a lesson from these two kids I know, Hansel and Gretel, except, instead, I will leave some rice for my path. And I wont be so foolish as to enter a suspicious witch house made out of candy...idiots. When I finally arrived, the trainer who helped me at the gym yesterday (maybe Sonju is his name) greeted me by name as I walked in today. Koreans are so friendly! It's so nice to feel like I belong in a community that is so new and foreign to me.
It was pouring again today. The rain will never cease here! Based on my quick internet research, autumn is supposed to be quite lovely. I suppose I can forgo another month of sunshine before I quite possibly turn into a vampire.
My students probably think I am literally a vampire. They already claim I have Dracula teeth and after today, they must think I'm pure evil. SLP has a point system and if they have 5 points they get all 5 stickers which they can trade at the "market" for prizes at the end of the month. Today, not only did I dock them all 5 points, but I took away points for tomorrow, leaving -3 points. I don't think they see that much. I also had to send Daniel to John teacher. He is a Korean teacher and male, which freaks them out much more than a smiling American female. Daniel looked terrified when he got back. I felt a little bad, but not really because Daniel likes to tell lies about me to his mother and get me in trouble. He told his mother the other day that I let him sleep in class and did not wake him up. What? Really, Pinocchio?? His mom sent a complaint in the "communication log" we have with the parents. Fantastic. The kids, as I mentioned before, have the absolute worst behavior... every last one of them in the school. BUT they do every single homework assignment because their parents make sure of it and they actually enjoy learning for the most part and will even gladly take on more homework. Unfortunately I've taken a liking to the worst kid in the whole school, Aidan. None of the teachers understand me. I also don't understand me.
The fashion here is phenomenal. I love absolutely everything the girls wear. I try to emulate their style but I'm not sure I have the knack for it quite yet. Also, I will not wear high heels every day or ever, which is a key component. The boys are also all stud muffins. Most of them are either in a nice shirt and tie or some sexy plaid (who doesnt love a man in plaid??) with hipster jeans, retro sneakers and glasses. They are really stylin. Unfortunately, as nice as it is that Korean men are not hairy, that means they usually do not have beards!! And tattoos are quite uncommon as they are "bad blood". It is quite ashame seeing as I love bearded men with tattoos. Young Korean couples like to match. I've seen it four times so far. As a matter of fact, the cute couple at the gym today were both wearing the same blue t-shirt with the same design. I wonder at what point it's appropiate to ask one's signifcant other to start matching?? That is some level of committment!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
I joined a Korean gym today. I've been eyeing Techno Gym for some time now. It's on the 4th floor as are most gyms, hair places, bars etc. so it took a great effort just to find my way up there considering everything is in Korean minus the huge advertisement TECHNO GYM.It was probably the first thing I've had to do on my own and it was incredibly tricky. Koreans love being healthy as do I. But at the gym... they insist upon it! There are rules. Everyone has to walk for 10 minutes and then stretch for another 10 or so to make sure the limbs are loose and ready for action. Of course I had no clue what the woman was telling me so I thought I could only walk for 10 minutes and then DONE. NO MORE, which is miserable for me considering I love to run. Finally a buff Korean bro(many Korean bros at the gym!) trainer man comes over and explains to me how to use the treadmill and how to stretch. He was very friendly, but I already know how to do this. I just nodded and smiled. I'm assuming there is a huge misconseption that Americans are all lazy and weigh a ton and have never worked out in their lives because they're all in line at McDonald's, but I know how to use the machines. Give me a break. I really did look like a fool though. Walking in, I was very disoriented and exasperated because I had to find my way to the gym through this underpass tunnel system (there is a huge intersection so people walk under the streets in that area instead of using crosswalks). It is my curse. I always come out on the wrong end and have to maze my way back to the other side. On top of it I was drenched (because I can not escape freaking monsoon season), with a little Korean dictionary in hand, thrusting different pages of work-out type words at the woman. Long story short, I got my work out. It should not have been such a challenge. I survived.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Just returned from WA Bar. It's on the corner of our street basically. We all live on different streets but this is a pretty central location, close to the school and close to where we live. Apparently this bar is a chain from what Tessa, Krystin and I found when we went to one while we were in Daegu for the International Body Painting Festival. I've never seen a bar that's a chain before from what I know. The bodypainting was quite the show... for free. It started off slow, just watching the the men and women be painted and then ended with this very flashy high-fashion show type deal. I was very impressed especially because of how modest I thought Korean culture was. We stayed overnight in another "love motel" because that's what there is and they are cheap. Our place was called "Beautiful House" motel and the covers were pale pink with red lighting.
When we got back to Cheonan, we had a going away dinner for Christina, who is leaving in a week. We sat on the floor to eat. It was my first time. My foot kept falling asleep. There is a lot of transitioning in and out of teachers. Another teacher is moving to another apartment for a reason unknown to me, but I got a nice big comfy chair from it. I'm sitting in it now... a little cramped with the extra furniture but when you don't have much to work with in the first place, you say yes to a large free chair.
I think the lack of sleep is finally starting to catch up to me. This past week, I've been taking to the habit of going to bed around 3 and then waking up at 7 or 8. Everyone says it's jetlag but I just like staying up late, which is unfortunate considering my early schedule.
I learned today that an average, descent haircut goes for only 9 bucks here. Big deal right??...Hair Cuttery and Great Clips have discounts on poor service and uneven trims all the time, however, these places throw in a hand massage, a full shampoo and rince, oh and beverages.. I'm probably going to need a few haircuts this year. But! Let this be a warning to all you taken/married men out there... if you're ever in Korea and in desperate need of a haircut, make sure the barber shop you go to only has one barber pole. If you see two barber poles outside the shop, your haircut will come with a happy ending ;) ... don't want to upset your lady friend/wife. To all the men without the old ball and chain, a lot of Korean haircuts might be the way to go.
When we got back to Cheonan, we had a going away dinner for Christina, who is leaving in a week. We sat on the floor to eat. It was my first time. My foot kept falling asleep. There is a lot of transitioning in and out of teachers. Another teacher is moving to another apartment for a reason unknown to me, but I got a nice big comfy chair from it. I'm sitting in it now... a little cramped with the extra furniture but when you don't have much to work with in the first place, you say yes to a large free chair.
I think the lack of sleep is finally starting to catch up to me. This past week, I've been taking to the habit of going to bed around 3 and then waking up at 7 or 8. Everyone says it's jetlag but I just like staying up late, which is unfortunate considering my early schedule.
I learned today that an average, descent haircut goes for only 9 bucks here. Big deal right??...Hair Cuttery and Great Clips have discounts on poor service and uneven trims all the time, however, these places throw in a hand massage, a full shampoo and rince, oh and beverages.. I'm probably going to need a few haircuts this year. But! Let this be a warning to all you taken/married men out there... if you're ever in Korea and in desperate need of a haircut, make sure the barber shop you go to only has one barber pole. If you see two barber poles outside the shop, your haircut will come with a happy ending ;) ... don't want to upset your lady friend/wife. To all the men without the old ball and chain, a lot of Korean haircuts might be the way to go.
Friday, August 27, 2010
This may be a little premature seeing as I've only been here for something like...5 days.. but I love it here. I love the kids, the job, the coworkers, the tiny apartment. I had zero expectations coming to Korea and I am more than pleasantly surprised. This has been one of the best decisions I could have made (I say this without even a week in, so I hope my feelings don't change after the honeymoon stage).
The Job:
I teach kinder at my school, SLP, but unlike the United States system, I do not teach the same class for 6 hours all day, every day kind of thing. I rotate 5 or 6 different classes and they all have a different curriculum. And my schedule can change from month to month. It is a little overwhelming, but I like the variety; it will definitely not become monotonous ever. I do not sit in a huge classroom with snotty little children all day. We have a huge teacher's lounge with our own desks where we go for a few 40 minute long breaks/planning periods/lunch etc. It's a nice way to socialize with the other Korean and American/Canadian teachers. It feels like an office job part of the time and a teaching job the other half. And there is a lot of cooperation amongst all of the teachers which I think is amazing. The children stay in the same room for the most part and the teachers circulate in and out, carrying these ridiculous little plastic baskets with stickers and markers etc. Also, dress is casual. It's great. I dress up a lot for work, but jeans are perfectly acceptable and it gives me flexibility to change up my style everyday (how very superficial does that sound...).
The Kids:
I love the kids. They dress very eclecticly (one day in their SLP uniform another day in a little sailor outfit). They have the funniest little Korean accents when spekaing in English. The 'le' sound always sounds like an 'r' (for example: turtle=turtur) and they add extra emphasis to the end of their words (for example: look=lookuh). Also they are extremely curious about our looks. They love my hair, jewelry, clothing. The boys especially love playing with my necklaces and bracelets. Thank god I'm fashinonable in the eyes of my 6 year olds students! However, they are also very critical. One day I didn't shave my legs (big deal) and my student, June, rubbed my leg (they are very touchy here) and said "teacher ACK!" So I shaved today. Also they don't understand why I have moles and freckles. They ask me if I have chicken pox. I also got called Dracula for my two top pointy teeth ( I thought those were normal right??) They are very affectionate and say nice things most of the time so it makes up for their criticism. BUT all of the kids at SLP have terrible behavior, but I feel as if I have my classes under decent control for now. They are allowed to run around like wild monkeys during recess but it's inside in the hallways (Korea schools are indoors usually on one floor of a building and not spread out like US)... so I think that gives them the idea they can be wild the whole time.
The Coworkers:
We are all so different. Half are Korean (all female) and half are foreign. A couple are married, a few are recent grads, others are in their thirties. So far, from what I can see we all get along, but I don't know all the drama yet so maybe that's not the case after all. Everyone has been at the school for different periods of time. Jenny and I just got here. A few others have been here for a year or more. Two girls have only been here two months. That's another exciting part of the job... the coworkers are also constantly changing and adding new dynamics to the group. I haven't found anyone I don't get along with yet, which is also a big perk. And my director, Frank, is very kind and with the best intentions.
The apartment:
My apartment is what we would call a studio style apartment. I have a normal size bathroom (right at the entrance) except normal in terms of a "no bath" bathroom. The bath part of the bathroom is just a showerhead chilling in the corner. I will have to provide pictures to give you the real deal. There is a very interesting mirror as you walk in the living space. In the living room, there is a small loveseat, a decent size kitchen (no oven though), a desk/table thing, normal size fridge, big wardrobe. I have a blacony off of the living room with a washer and not much of a view, but very large beautiful windows! My bed is on the "second floor" which is a loft. I walk up a teeny, (frightening when drunk) ladder to my suprizingly large bed. It is such a small space up there that I cannot stand up straight and must bend down when climbing to bed. The space on the "second floor" is spacious enough in width but not in height. So to put it in perspective, if I wake up upright from an oh-so-terrible nightmare, I wont crash my skull into the ceiling, and if I roll off the bed, I wont fall off the side of the loft. I just have to prevent falling off that ladder and all is well. My only complaint about the apartment is that my bedding is pink... not hot pink, or fushia but freaking pale pink. My least favorite color in the whole spectrum of color. My good friend Ashley knows this better than anyone...my issue with pink. I love it though. It is ther perfect size for a single female. It's so much cozier than a big apartment.
I'm still overwhelmed with all the things I'm learning and seeing, so I can barely get everything out in just one blog posting. There will be much more to come!
The Job:
I teach kinder at my school, SLP, but unlike the United States system, I do not teach the same class for 6 hours all day, every day kind of thing. I rotate 5 or 6 different classes and they all have a different curriculum. And my schedule can change from month to month. It is a little overwhelming, but I like the variety; it will definitely not become monotonous ever. I do not sit in a huge classroom with snotty little children all day. We have a huge teacher's lounge with our own desks where we go for a few 40 minute long breaks/planning periods/lunch etc. It's a nice way to socialize with the other Korean and American/Canadian teachers. It feels like an office job part of the time and a teaching job the other half. And there is a lot of cooperation amongst all of the teachers which I think is amazing. The children stay in the same room for the most part and the teachers circulate in and out, carrying these ridiculous little plastic baskets with stickers and markers etc. Also, dress is casual. It's great. I dress up a lot for work, but jeans are perfectly acceptable and it gives me flexibility to change up my style everyday (how very superficial does that sound...).
The Kids:
I love the kids. They dress very eclecticly (one day in their SLP uniform another day in a little sailor outfit). They have the funniest little Korean accents when spekaing in English. The 'le' sound always sounds like an 'r' (for example: turtle=turtur) and they add extra emphasis to the end of their words (for example: look=lookuh). Also they are extremely curious about our looks. They love my hair, jewelry, clothing. The boys especially love playing with my necklaces and bracelets. Thank god I'm fashinonable in the eyes of my 6 year olds students! However, they are also very critical. One day I didn't shave my legs (big deal) and my student, June, rubbed my leg (they are very touchy here) and said "teacher ACK!" So I shaved today. Also they don't understand why I have moles and freckles. They ask me if I have chicken pox. I also got called Dracula for my two top pointy teeth ( I thought those were normal right??) They are very affectionate and say nice things most of the time so it makes up for their criticism. BUT all of the kids at SLP have terrible behavior, but I feel as if I have my classes under decent control for now. They are allowed to run around like wild monkeys during recess but it's inside in the hallways (Korea schools are indoors usually on one floor of a building and not spread out like US)... so I think that gives them the idea they can be wild the whole time.
The Coworkers:
We are all so different. Half are Korean (all female) and half are foreign. A couple are married, a few are recent grads, others are in their thirties. So far, from what I can see we all get along, but I don't know all the drama yet so maybe that's not the case after all. Everyone has been at the school for different periods of time. Jenny and I just got here. A few others have been here for a year or more. Two girls have only been here two months. That's another exciting part of the job... the coworkers are also constantly changing and adding new dynamics to the group. I haven't found anyone I don't get along with yet, which is also a big perk. And my director, Frank, is very kind and with the best intentions.
The apartment:
My apartment is what we would call a studio style apartment. I have a normal size bathroom (right at the entrance) except normal in terms of a "no bath" bathroom. The bath part of the bathroom is just a showerhead chilling in the corner. I will have to provide pictures to give you the real deal. There is a very interesting mirror as you walk in the living space. In the living room, there is a small loveseat, a decent size kitchen (no oven though), a desk/table thing, normal size fridge, big wardrobe. I have a blacony off of the living room with a washer and not much of a view, but very large beautiful windows! My bed is on the "second floor" which is a loft. I walk up a teeny, (frightening when drunk) ladder to my suprizingly large bed. It is such a small space up there that I cannot stand up straight and must bend down when climbing to bed. The space on the "second floor" is spacious enough in width but not in height. So to put it in perspective, if I wake up upright from an oh-so-terrible nightmare, I wont crash my skull into the ceiling, and if I roll off the bed, I wont fall off the side of the loft. I just have to prevent falling off that ladder and all is well. My only complaint about the apartment is that my bedding is pink... not hot pink, or fushia but freaking pale pink. My least favorite color in the whole spectrum of color. My good friend Ashley knows this better than anyone...my issue with pink. I love it though. It is ther perfect size for a single female. It's so much cozier than a big apartment.
I'm still overwhelmed with all the things I'm learning and seeing, so I can barely get everything out in just one blog posting. There will be much more to come!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
It's 3:30 am (Korea time). My sleep pattern a little off... not even from jet lag but from keeping strange hours (a habbit I have no matter what part of the world I'm in). I was sleeping, but then I just sort of was wide awake.
I'm set up in a motel right now. It's called Good Morning Motel. Isn't that sweet? Truth be told, it's not so sweet. In Korea, young adults live with their families for a while longer than say... young adults in the USA. So, from what I've gathered (it may not be a 100% acurate account) these motels are used as sex rooms for the young folk. It comes equipped with a box of condoms and a vibrating bed mode as well as green tea and powerade if you get thirsty and dehydrated from... sleeping. My favorite part is the refrigerated face mask-very rejuvinating, refreshing. However, they aren't dingy little sex motels you might find in the US. Mine is very modern and clean, spotless. This is great, but I'm ready to get settled into my little apartment.
Koreans are very friendly. I can't always understand everything they say and vise versa but you know what they say....a smile is worth a thousand words right? so I just smile a lot like I usually do.I met a guy on the bus to my city, Cheonan. He was very nice and gave me his contact information and invited me to meet his wife and have dinner with them sometime. That was my first conversation with a Korean... very hospitable and warm to say the least.
Everything is very bright and colorful here at night. Every city is like a mini times square. But for the people who live here, it's really no big deal. I'm pretty amazed though. During the day it's a bit colorless right now.The weather blows. It's either cloudy or thunderstorming every day. I'm ready for the sun to come out already and I've only been dealing with this dismal weather for 2 days. It's monsoon season or something they say... I don't know I just want a sunny day. I hope it's not like this much longer.
I start teaching August 30th Korea time but I've been in the classrooms training. Very cute kids with crazy behavior. I'm going to have to refrain from smiling and laughing as much so they don't think I'm a pushover. I don't want 7 and 8 year olds controlling me. They are really only 6 and 7. Korean age starts at age 1 at birth. So I'm actually 23 turning 24 (which actually makes me 2 years older than my american age because my birthday falls at the end of the year). It's tricky, but age is everything here.
So far, I'm extremely happy with my choice. Except there is no access to AOL radio OR pandora here. AOL radio... cmon! I thrive off of that. I've now moved onto Grooveshark and I'm pretty sure this is going to be a nice replacement. Just a minor setback.
I'm set up in a motel right now. It's called Good Morning Motel. Isn't that sweet? Truth be told, it's not so sweet. In Korea, young adults live with their families for a while longer than say... young adults in the USA. So, from what I've gathered (it may not be a 100% acurate account) these motels are used as sex rooms for the young folk. It comes equipped with a box of condoms and a vibrating bed mode as well as green tea and powerade if you get thirsty and dehydrated from... sleeping. My favorite part is the refrigerated face mask-very rejuvinating, refreshing. However, they aren't dingy little sex motels you might find in the US. Mine is very modern and clean, spotless. This is great, but I'm ready to get settled into my little apartment.
Koreans are very friendly. I can't always understand everything they say and vise versa but you know what they say....a smile is worth a thousand words right? so I just smile a lot like I usually do.I met a guy on the bus to my city, Cheonan. He was very nice and gave me his contact information and invited me to meet his wife and have dinner with them sometime. That was my first conversation with a Korean... very hospitable and warm to say the least.
Everything is very bright and colorful here at night. Every city is like a mini times square. But for the people who live here, it's really no big deal. I'm pretty amazed though. During the day it's a bit colorless right now.The weather blows. It's either cloudy or thunderstorming every day. I'm ready for the sun to come out already and I've only been dealing with this dismal weather for 2 days. It's monsoon season or something they say... I don't know I just want a sunny day. I hope it's not like this much longer.
I start teaching August 30th Korea time but I've been in the classrooms training. Very cute kids with crazy behavior. I'm going to have to refrain from smiling and laughing as much so they don't think I'm a pushover. I don't want 7 and 8 year olds controlling me. They are really only 6 and 7. Korean age starts at age 1 at birth. So I'm actually 23 turning 24 (which actually makes me 2 years older than my american age because my birthday falls at the end of the year). It's tricky, but age is everything here.
So far, I'm extremely happy with my choice. Except there is no access to AOL radio OR pandora here. AOL radio... cmon! I thrive off of that. I've now moved onto Grooveshark and I'm pretty sure this is going to be a nice replacement. Just a minor setback.
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